Speeches

(As prepared for delivery) It is a great pleasure to celebrate with you today the United Nation’s participation in the Astana EXPO 2017. I have the privilege to address you today on behalf of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and would like to take this opportunity to sincerely congratulate Kazakhstan on the successful hosting of the Astana EXPO 2017.

Speech on the occasion of the Africa Day celebration 2017

(As prepared for delivery) It is a special privilege and a great pleasure for me to speak at this year’s commemoration of Africa Day. Africa Day provides us with a day of reflection on Africa’s achievements in the recent past, a celebration of its population and culture.

(As prepared for delivery) On behalf of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and as co-organizer of the Vienna Energy Forum, I wish to extend a warm welcome to all the participants gathered here today.

(As prepared for delivery) I would like to express my sincere thanks for hosting us today at the occasion of our 4th EU-UNIDO High Level Review Meeting. It is a great pleasure to meet here in Brussels after having celebrated together UNIDO’s 50th Anniversary in Vienna in November last year. These regular exchanges demonstrate the intensity of our cooperation and our respective commitment.

Speech at Hannover Messe 2017 on “Intelligent Manufacturing and Cooperation, New Motive Power for Sino-German Development”

(As prepared for delivery) It is a great privilege for me to be here with you today at the Sino-German Intelligent Manufacturing Investment Cooperation Conference, which brings together the public and private sectors from two leading countries, Germany and China.

(As prepared for delivery) I would like to express my sincere thanks for the invitation to participate in this important event today. It is indeed a great privilege and honour to be invited to the Opening Ceremony of the “Invest in China” Exhibition.

Statement at the opening ceremony of the Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit, Abu Dhabi, 27 March 2017

(As prepared for delivery) As Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and co-chair of the first Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit (GMIS), I would like to warmly welcome all delegates. It is gratifying to be in the midst of prominent leaders and industry experts who are shaping the world of manufacturing.

Opening speech at the UNIDO International Women's Day celebrations, Vienna, 8 March 2017

(As prepared for delivery) This year’s theme is Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030. There is thus a real momentum for an issue that is at the very core of UNIDO’s mandate: to forge a gender-equal world where both women and men benefit from working in the industrial sectors.

Opening remarks at the business matchmaking session on the sidelines of China International Fair for Investment and Trade, Xiamen, 9 September 2016

We have organized this business matchmaking event as a follow-up to yesterday’s High-Level Forum on Investment in Africa, to allow Government representatives, UNIDO project managers and interested investors to engage in a direct dialogue, as a first step to what could potentially be fruitful future collaborations. This session is an important opportunity for you to exchange innovative ideas and discuss possibilities for joint projects.

Speech at the cocktail reception to celebrate UNIDO’s 50th Anniversary, on the sidelines of China International Fair for Investment and Trade, Xiamen, 8 September 2016

What better occasion could there be to do so than at a moment when our dear Organization, UNIDO, is turning 50? And what better platform could there be but the CIFIT, which UNIDO helped to build up in the first place, and which is also celebrating a round birthday this year? 20 years, over which it has continuously grown into one of the most important fairs for trade and investment world-wide.